


a magic lesson

by zagspect



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: "i am going to create an environment that is so toxic" -eriol, Gen, me trying to pretend eriols sakura arc magic has like. rules. explanation, post-clear card anime spoilers, sakura and kero and li's family mentioned but offscreen, spinel pops in for a minute, wizardly mentors will see a teenager and say anyone gonna manipulate that and not wait for an answer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27568927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zagspect/pseuds/zagspect
Summary: If Li is going to be of any help to Sakura, he's got to be well-armed with all the spells necessary to save her. Obviously, with all the experience and knowledge on his side, Eriol gets to decide what "necessary" means.
Relationships: Hiiragizawa Eriol & Li Syaoran
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	a magic lesson

**Author's Note:**

> hi there i have soooo much fic i simply never have posted anywhere public and i finally cracked

"Am I bothering you?"  
  
He is, in fact, bothering. Li was halfway through a sheet of homework when Eriol called, but that doesn't matter because it's Eriol calling. There's always time for him, and they both know it.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
"Great."  
  
Eriol takes his time getting to the point, asks about his day (fine), how Sakura's doing (upset, but determined to get to the bottom of things), how the Sakura Cards are doing (it's complicated). And then-  
  
"Oh, by the way, I was thinking about a certain spell I know, and it's a shame you don't know it yet. It could come in handy, so I'll teach it to you if you have a moment?"  
  
"...Of course."  
  
Of _course_ he has a moment. If Clow Reed (or, close enough) wants to teach you a spell, you _always_ have a moment. His sisters would be wailing in jealousy if they knew.  
  
Still....  
  
"What does the spell do?"  
  
"You'll see!" Eriol laughs.  
  
Li has never seen eye to eye with Eriol's sense of humor, and the laughter makes his stomach churn. He's half convinced that he'll spend an hour struggling just to make his own compass punch him in the face or something. _This isn't the fifth grade anymore,_ he tells himself sternly. _We're on the same side, now._ It takes him a second to remember the obvious- _In fact, we always were._  
  
"Alright." Li says, after a moment. "Journey just as important as the destination. yeah."  
  
He tries to sound confident. As clearly as he can sense Eriol's magic curling against his ear, he knows Eriol can smell the fear off him if he wavers.  
  
"Exactly. put me on a video call and stand back, please?", and from the pleased tone of it, he _did_ sound scared. Or maybe Eriol's just proud of him for adopting one of his expressions. It's tougher knowing where he stands with Eriol now than it ever was back when they acted like mortal enemies, locked in pointless rivalry over basketball and swimming. It should be easier now, right? Being friends, believing he's being treated kindly?   
  
He finds himself wishing Kero was there. Maybe he and Sakura would stop by, and Kero would hear about Li's weird excitement-fear over learning high level magic and bop him on the head with a tiny paw and say-  
  
"Let's start with something easy," Eriol says. "Remember that bear?"  
  
Li stops wishing Kero was there abruptly. He could never ever _ever_ forget that bear, but it sure isn't what he'd call something easy.  
  
"Put it a room over, kitchen table or so, and then head back?"  
  
Li does so. he imagines a sad look shot his way.  
  
"It'll only be a moment," he mutters guiltily at the bear, and at everybody inside. "I hope."  
  
He tacks on that bit quickly, because there's always the possibility he's being taught to glue bears to tables from afar.  
  
When he returns Eriol asks him to conjure up his magic circle. It catches him off guard when he looks down, still, even a week into this, even knowing this was coming months ahead. It's not his, it shouldn't be under his feet. He misses the large, sturdy square he grew up with, but that's besides the point. He thinks of Sakura, and the new circle she fell into without a say in the matter. No, he doesn't really have the right to miss _his_.  
  
This is the hard part- he's asked to step out of it. it's tricky at first, the lines stubbornly backing up with his steps, or fizzling out entirely if he moves too fast. At some point Spinel jumps into Eriol's lap and watches his attempts, then yawns (cats have _such_ big teeth, it's always a shock) and curls up for a catnap. Even Eriol himself loses interest somewhere around the ten minute mark, picks up a book and tells Li to tell him when he's got it. There has to be some trick to it. Some concentration, something to focus on, and he lets his mind wander as he step-step-step-steps over and over. He's just started mentally kicking himself for losing track of what he's doing when-  
  
"Oh!"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Eriol looks up. Li stands about half a foot back from his circle, the center star empty, as if any moment Sakura's going to pop out and laugh about being invisible. But she's not, she can't. The Illusion, The Shadow, anyone who can help like that, they're on his kitchen table.  
  
"...Now what?" asks Li, more to clear his head than because he wants to know.

"Now you look at the bear."

"...I what?"  
  
It's a room away, that was the point, wasn't it? Should the walls be clear? Did he mess this up?

Eriol _hmms_ a moment. It feels like a year.  
  
"It should feel like a natural motion. You drop the middle of the circle out, and stick your own presence from the other room back in, where the gap is. You should be able to see the bear when you've got it."

"So..." Li thinks he's figured out what this is all about, now, and he hates it. "Like a camera."

"Exactly." _you'll see_ , Eriol had said, and in his frustrating way he wasn't lying. "When this becomes second nature to you, you can practice moving your viewpoint around, and even shrink your circle into a bowl or cup to hide it."

The awful stomach churning feeling returns all at once.

"- _undetectable_ , and if you can pick up on a weak enough trace, practically limitless." Eriol is saying. Li barely hears him. Eriol always seemed to know just where Sakura was back in fifth grade, didn't he? Almost as if he was doing, well, _this_. "You're essentially doing magic on yourself, so no one else can feel the presence directed towards them. even with Sakura's power-" no, no, no, he is not, he is _not_ , going to spy on Sakura. he has to draw the line somewhere. Taking her magic, even for her own safety, keeps him up at night enough.

"I," he whispers, nearly swallowing the word back in. You don't say things like this, not when Clow Reed (or, close enough) is teaching you magic. His mom will have his _head_. But.

"I don't want to." he chokes out. "Sorry. Sorry, no offense."

He looks away. He hopes Eriol isn't angry, or insulted, before chancing a peek at his phone. From the looks of it, Eriol is....not mad? Shaking with laughter, nearly in tears. Spinel jumps off of his lap, and Li thinks maybe Spinel has a point.

"You're adorable," Eriol says finally. "You're so cute when you're in love, a real knight in shining armor for your Sakura."

This is his punishment, he guesses, wanting nothing more than to melt into the carpet. He's so in love, he's the cutest boyfriend, he's the _worst_ boyfriend.

"I won't ask you to spy on Sakura as a pastime," he waves. Li relaxes a moment too early. "But consider this-", and here Eriol's voice grows serious. "What if she's in danger, and her phone breaks? What if you need to see what sort of situation you're getting into before you rush in? How can you be of any help if you're unprepared?"

He hadn't thought of that. His stomach drops out like he's on a rollercoaster and the circle drops with it, just for a moment, the bear flickering into view. He thinks it looks disappointed in him before it flickers out. Li cancels his circle and sits heavily down on the floor, suddenly exhausted.

"Very good," says Eriol. Li can't bring himself to look at his phone, but he can imagine the triumphant, smug look on Eriol's face. Maybe things haven't changed since fifth grade as much as he thought. 

"Thanks.", he mumbles finally. It's only polite.

"I'm proud of you," says Eriol, and despite himself he feels a bit warmed at that. Blame it on the way he was raised, maybe, the legends and celebritizing, but you can't feel truly bad at praise from the person everybody's looked up to for generations (not that anyone would say that to his face, but as far as the Li family is concerned- close enough).

"-You'll do anything to protect her. Even when it's hard for you." 

"I will." says Li. if this is truly the way to do keep her safe, he'll do anything. He barely remembers the rest of the compliments Eriol tries to calm him with before hanging up, collecting the bear from the table, crawling into bed. If it's true- if he can really keep Sakura out of harm's way by taking from her, by spying on her- he'll take any anger she throws at him, it'll all be worth it. As long as she's alive.  
  
_As long as she's alive_ , he repeats to himself, and then he is asleep.


End file.
